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Post by andy on Feb 1, 2008 11:00:53 GMT
Just finnished potting up my Begonia tubers.
I planted 18 x 3 litre pots = 54 litres. About 5 pots are a bit taller so add another 5 litres onto that and then round it up.
I make that 60 litres.
I used exactly 1 bag of potting compost which was 70 litres.
Has anyone else bothered to check ?
It does say "70L at time of filling" !!!...does that mean that some of the compost "rots" away or do they lose some through holes etc. That's an awful lot of compost to be short on...certainly over 10% and i use quite a few bags during the spring.
Any comments ?
Andy
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Post by Rosefriend on Feb 1, 2008 11:07:26 GMT
Well I can't comment on the UK side but what they have started to do here is put less compost in and charge the same price as before.
We used to have 50 litre bags - now we have 40/45 or 16 litre bags instead of 20.
A lot of people don't see that there is less in the bags.
RF
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2008 11:07:28 GMT
That IS interesting andy  I've never thought to check, but now you mention it I do always seem to run out when I think I've bought enough. |
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Post by andy on Feb 1, 2008 11:34:15 GMT
I've never really thought about it either it was just that i used exactly one 70L bag of compost for 18 x 3litre pots...and the maths just didn't add up. Usually, i use my compost for an assortment of pot sizes so you never really get to check.
Would you complain or at least seek an explanation ?
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Post by andy on Feb 1, 2008 11:47:22 GMT
Well...i just phoned J. Arthur Bowers (sinclair horticulture) who was fairly speachless although he did manage to mutter some bull**** excuse about natural irreversible compaction and a bit of natural degrading depending on how old the compost was. He also said that a 3 litre pot wasn't expected to hold 3 litres of compost  ...don't know how you work that out really. But he did say that he wouldn't expect to be 10-15 litres shy (when i said i had 5 x 4 litre pots in the equasion...i was being generous as they didn't tell you on the pots) So...if you get the chance, have a go at measuring the compost by volume |
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Post by Barbara on Feb 1, 2008 16:21:58 GMT
well andy it certainly sounds like we are, , they have probably been getting away with it for years, every 60 odd bags gives them a free bag to make a profit on, not bad that is it. i'll bet they were gobsmacked that some-one had found them out ;D.
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Post by madonplants on Feb 1, 2008 16:35:17 GMT
Very interesting Andy. Makes you think where else we are getting diddled. My OH was asked to change a toothpaste, to make it cheaper. She was basically told to take one of the ingredients out. She altered the formula and was horrified when she saw it on the shelves. It was sold in a smaller tube, labelled as new and improved and were charging MORE for it! She felt very uncomfortable about it and glad she doesn't work there anymore.
Are the pots accurate as well? The only way to prove it, is an accurate measuring jug, over say 3/4 bags.
Keith
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2008 20:13:52 GMT
I think you have to view it like a box of cornflakes - Which is full to the top in the factory, but "settles during transportation". Compaction will take place whilst stacked on a pallet and any drying out will also lead to less volume. I'm sure the weights and measures people will have visited the leading suppliers and verified their processes. Does make you think though  |
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Post by isabella on Feb 1, 2008 20:23:03 GMT
I know I am probably being incredibly thick even posting this message but is a litre of compost the same as a litre of water?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 2, 2008 0:11:49 GMT
I don't think anyone in their right mind would ever call you thick  If they do send them round to me ;D But if you "fluff" up dry compost to add air your 1 litre measuring jug will be full in no time. Alternatively fill it up 3/4 with really dry compost and add say half a pint of water and it will expand to fill the litre. I think though that this idea/theory might be worthy of testing, but I'm afraid I'll have to wait until May, when I do it on an "industrial" scale for a domestic garden. Cabbage |
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Post by MamIDdau on Feb 2, 2008 17:43:52 GMT
I think compacting is mainly to blame. They do it by volume rather than weight don't they so if you're packing something that is effectively small particles, they will shift to fill the gaps between the other particles and displace the air.
As CPC said, if you fluff it up, you'll add volume. You could get a carrier bag of fluffed up compost and it would only have say 5 litres in it but if you squashed all the compost up, you could fit in say 8 litres.
If they did it by weight then you'd be able to tell more accurately what you've actually got. Then again, trading standards would not allow them to say they're selling a certain amount if they know they're not filling the bags to the top.
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Post by andy on Feb 2, 2008 17:47:36 GMT
The compost used was not firmed down in the pots.....i always allow the watering to do that and i always roll every bag around to losen it all up.....25 years of ammenity and commercial nursery work have taught me this  |
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Post by MamIDdau on Feb 2, 2008 17:53:47 GMT
perhaps there was just more air in it when they packed it?!
Like I say, if they did it by weight, you'd know better where you stand because air doesn't weigh enough to add to the value of the compost you're buying. It would also help when you come to lift a bag of it up so you're not trying to lift a 20kg bag on your own.
They could put the weight and in brackets approx "however many" litres so you still know roughly how many pots you can do.
Everything else is normally sold by weight such as food etc so why not compost?
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I've never thought to check, but now you mention it I do always seem to run out when I think I've bought enough. 
...don't know how you work that out really.
If they do send them round to me ;D
